Fallingwater (1936)
By the time Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, he had a reputation for innovation and going against architectural norms. He defied the Victorian architectural tradition of designing tall buildings with lots of closed-off interior rooms. Instead, he created the Prairie style out of his love of nature and Japanese architecture. He would not stop at Prairie style. He adapted to modern – and postmodern – architecture as the decades progressed.
Wright’s Fallingwater design is hailed as one of the most innovative of his career. The work was commissioned for Pittsburgh merchant Edgar “E.J.” Kaufman, who was particularly fond of a waterfall at a remote vacation spot. He hoped to build his home overlooking that spot. Wright figured out how to incorporate the waterfall into the design. His cascading cantilevers and windows that used the forest as decoration created a union between building and nature.
